The Eastern Raiders
by WinterOsprey
Summary: The Viking nations are on a conquest and the Hairy Hooligans are no exception, but what happens when they dare to invade the heart of the Scottish isles?
1. Chapter 1

**Hiccup**

This is all so backwards.

Déjà vu doesn't even cut it, this is history repeating itself all over again, what disappointed Hiccup the most was how quickly it had come around. His father, Chief Stoick the Vast, and his council had been exploring around their lands for some time and had expanded their home to new lands. They were beginning to colonise. Hiccup never went on these explorations, even with his father insisting otherwise, he knew _exactly _what was going on and it sure as heck wasn't all trading and negotiation. Hiccup knew his father and his tribe too well, it was all out war.

Berk was quiet now. Having the dragons around didn't replace the fact that so many had left to go and join in with the raids, even Astrid had left, the moment she turned eighteen. Hiccup had been disappointed, he thought that she would have known better, but she was far too stubborn to listen to _him._

Hiccup sat dangling his legs over the side of the wooden walkway on the rock face, looking out to sea. Clouds swollen grey with rain loomed on the horizon, Hiccup sighed, another storm tonight. Beside him, the large black dragon stared at the waves breaking off of the rocks below, his ears flicking back and forth with each crest of a wave. Hiccup pulled his knees up to his chest and pressed his face into his forearms, he couldn't believe they could be so _stupid! _It was only a few years ago when the tribe had been so intent on killing the dragons they had now befriended. How could things swing around so fast?

Oh no, that's right. He remembered. It's because now the Vikings had _power, _real power. Strength formed in the hundreds of dragons that flew by their sides into battle, Hiccup moaned to himself in dismay, "Will they ever learn?" He asked, looking over at his companion. Toothless looked up at him with those bright eyes, he shook his head. Hiccup sighed, it was true. He'd have to pull a serious hat trick to try and convince his father not to raid every settlement he sees, but with his new thirst he doubted that riding in on the back of a Night Fury would save the day this time.

Hiccup lifted his gaze to the horizon and squinted. Black shapes on the horizon… He shot to his feet, Toothless jumped in surprise, "Dad!"

They met them on the docks. Hiccup embraced his father when he disembarked from the ship. Stoick looked exhausted and so old, his hair had even begun to grey from the stresses of a fight. Hiccup frowned internally, he put on his best smile, "It's good to see you dad."

"And you son," Stoick patted him on the back, breaking from the hug and held Hiccup at arm's length. It had been a year since he had last seen Hiccup, "you're taller."

Taller than Stoick, in fact. Hiccup had had a growth spurt, but he hadn't put on an ounce of muscle in that time. He was all skin and bone, gangly on long limbs. Hiccup shrugged, "I guess I have." Stoick laughed, he clasped his hand tight on Hiccup's shoulder as they trekked back to the house.

The house felt a lot smaller when Stoick filled the frame of the door, Hiccup busied himself with the fire and getting some food ready. He could imagine that the journey back from wherever they had returned from would have made him hungry. Toothless curled up in the rafters as Hiccup began to gut fish. Stoick took a seat by the fire and stared at it intently, "We've heard a mighty fine rumour, Hiccup," He shared, still glaring into the hearth, "a beautiful green place, off in the west. Big mountains, huge lakes and rivers. The perfect place to open up a trading port."

Hiccup pressed his lips together as he threw the fish innards into a bowl, Toothless would be having them once he was done, "Oh? Well that sounds nice." Something so beautiful must have a catch.

Stoick swung round on his stool and clenched his fists, "But there's a problem," _here we go_, "living there are savages. Celtic creatures, descendants of warlocks and the most fearsome of warriors." He stroked his beard, Hiccup gave him a perplexed look whilst skewering the fish.

"Ah, well, I guess that's a shame I guess you'll have to go and look elsewh-"

"We leave tomorrow to invade. There's one river that goes from the sea straight into the heart of their lands, we shall use it to our advantage and _crush them!" _Stoick yelled, standing up and punching the air with such passion that Hiccup gulped when that hot glare looked down at him, "and I want you and Toothless to come with us."

Hiccup dropped the fish and stick he was holding, "Yo-you what?" Toothless peered down from his perch, "you want me to come with you on what sounds like a suicide mission. Great dad, thanks, I feel so loved." He retrieved the fish and skewer.

Stoick scoffed, "Hiccup! We have the dragons! Nothing can stop us! And nothing can stop that damned Night Fury of yours, you _are _coming with us. Is that understood boy?"

Hiccup lost his appetite, he finished up and stabbed the skewers down into the hearth to cook. He didn't say a word as he picked up the bowl of fish guts and handed it up to Toothless, who accepted it eagerly and ate them all in a single lick, Hiccup caught the bowl when it was tossed back down. He could feel Stoick glaring daggers at his back and it was only when he was at the door to his room when Hiccup replied, "Fine, but we're not killing _anyone._" Before Stoick could muster a response, he closed the door. He supposed he had better get packing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Merida**

The last time she had seen the clan leaders, they were presenting their sons as suitors. This time, they were here because of war.

Thankfully not a war between themselves, but rather the invading force that had taken the coastal towns and villages. The invaders, whom had come from the east, where heading straight for the highlands. The clans had all agreed to band together to stop the menace.

King Fergus sat his throne with Merida and Elinor on either side, his face contorted with frustration as he listened to Lord Macintosh deliver the report, "The invaders have been pillaging the east for years now, they ventured south to terrorize the Gaulish, they've also entered into Britannia. Now, they're coming for us, our friends on the coast have confirmed it. They're coming for DunBroch."

Fergus pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well, we'd best prepare for them. I would ask of you your best men, we need to fortify our lands and make sure that everyone is safe. How much time do we have?"

Macintosh looked grim, "Well you see your highness," he paused, uncertain how to phrase it.

Merida quirked a brow at him, "Go on, spit it out!" Elinor shot her a glare.

Whilst Macintosh flinched, Lord Dingwall guffawed, "They have bloomin' dragons Fergus!"

The royal family stared at Dingwall long and hard. Elinor looked at Macintosh, "Is… is that true?" In normal circumstances, they would be wary of such tall tales. Unfortunately, the brush of bear madness from a few years prior had left them to think a little differently. Macintosh nodded nervously.

Merida wasn't surprised to find that the gaze now settle on her, she rolled her eyes, "Of course," She muttered, "Sorry dad, I don't know much about dragons other than the tales we shared as kids." She shrugged, her red curls bobbing. It was unnerving though, how had the invaders managed to get _dragons_ of all creatures?

Fergus rubbed his hands over his face and stood, Merida and Elinor rose with him, "We're going to need to really think on this. Regular fortifications aren't going to be enough, dragons breath fire," He chewed his lip, searching for words.

Merida stepped forward, "Soak the wood for the palisades, keep them wet. Wet wood won't light," She told the Lords, "undoubtedly they'll be flying in. We'll need to get all the archers from the clans together," Merida looked to her father, "if you wouldn't mind dad, I'd like to lead the archers myself."

Elinor paled, but did not disagree. Fergus clasped his hand on Merida's shoulder, "Of course Merida," his attention diverted back to the Lords, "you heard her, let's get ready!" He roared, the Lords roared back their battle cry, bowed and took their leave.

Once the hall was quiet, Elinor took Merida's hand, "You've got to be careful darling. I know how good you are with a bow but… but," she looked down, "_dragons _Merida. Gracious, I never expected such a thing. It's not going to be an easy fight.

"I know mum, don't worry about me. You just make sure the boys are kept safe, they're going to want to fight, but they're not ready for war yet." Merida could see how concerned her mother was, but there wasn't much Elinor could do. Merida was a woman grown now, she could make her own decisions and she had learned to trust her.

Fergus stroked his beard, "You're right about the boys y'know. News hasn't spread yet, Elinor, I think you should take them and head west where you'll be safe."

Elinor scowled at him, "What and leave the two of you here alone?" Her rage subsided briefly, she sighed, "no no, you're right. I wouldn't be much help to you when chaos comes crashing down upon DunBroch. We'll leave tonight." The queen beckoned her husband and daughter to her, she embraced them both tightly.

"Stay safe mum." Merida whispered, fighting back tears.

"We'll be fine, just you see. And so will you." Those last words wobbled with fear. No one questioned her, war was a frightening thing. Dragons made it even more terrifying.

"We'll see you soon," Fergus kissed his wife and sighed, "I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiccup**

He had been told about Viking warfare and they were always portrayed as heroic events that echoed through their history. Hiccup had read a few tales about it too, being a bit more honest about what war was really like with Vikings. Hiccup had _never _expected it to be this horrific.

What overwhelmed him the most was the _smell._ The smell of war was worse than anything Hiccup had ever imagined, he had a constant lump in his throat because of it, the feeling that he was about to throw up was never too far away.

To get away from it, he took Toothless up as high as they could go. Smoke plumed and mingled with the clouds, turning the sky black. War was disgusting, Hiccup couldn't believe that he had agreed to come with. Toothless careered up above the clouds and smoke and into the clean but thin air where Hiccup took big gulps to try and clear his mind and lungs.

War was foul. He was wondering if it could even be called war! It was just plain slaughter going on down there, what made his gut wrench the most was the fact his father and friends were down there in the thick of it – cutting down all whom got in their way, or roasting them to a crisp with their dragon companions.

There must be _something _that he could do! They were only a few miles off of DunBroch, initially the plan was to go straight there, but Stoick had decided that the MacGuffin clan had fruit to spare and couldn't help but dig in. Hiccup glared down at the thick smog below them, being up there in the clear was helping him to start piecing ideas together.

The only redeeming feature out of the monstrosity his father was leading was that they weren't killing absolutely everyone, which was always a plus. What that meant was that there was a chance to bargain to their release, Hiccup decided that he would designate himself that role. Well, now he had that there was no use in hanging around up here, "Let's go buddy!" Hiccup called over the wind, he clicked the stirrup into place and Toothless let out a merry cry as he went into a nose dive. Hiccup held his breath as the smoke hit him full in the face on the descent.

Unfortunately, what he didn't expect to see when the smoke began to thin and he could have a look at what was happening, it seemed that the Vikings had already moved on. He could see the boats a way up river, had he really been up there so long? Time was slipping him by too easy these days. Hiccup grit his teeth, he needed to catch up and he'd have to try bargaining to release prisoners later.

They were only half a mile away from DunBroch. Hiccup sat beside his father at the war council alongside Gobber and the other higher ups of the tribe. He bit his tongue to stop himself from calling out against their plans of action to take down the fortress that sat atop the hill overlooking the lake. The lake was where they would block the enemy from escaping by the water, but the dragons could be the ones who would do most of the work to take the town.

After the meeting, Stoick looked around the circle with an expectant look, asking if there was anything else anyone wanted to add. Hiccup stood, he saw his father flinch but he ignored it and looked at the other men, "I'd like to ask that we release some of the prisoners." He tried his best to make his voice strong and confident, but it had come out as flimsy and weak as ever.

Geeze, if looks could kill. He had once been so used to this, but since the arrival of the dragons as friends he had been revered as a sort of hero. Now? It was like being back at the beginning, when whatever he said was greeted with a head shake and a 'he'll grow out of it'. Well, he was considered to be a man now, there was no more 'growing' to do. Gobber stroked his moustache nervously.

"Hiccup," Stoick growled sternly, "this is not the time. They're prisoners for a reason."

Hiccup stared back at his father, "What reason, dad?" He asked, "by keeping them along we're just giving the army more mouths to feed!"

Stoick stood, at least Hiccup had the advantage of height now, but it didn't make It any less intimidating having his faster standing not quite nose to nose with him, "The prisoners are what are feeding us, they're farming the lands – it's _their _land after all, so whilst we fight we can make the use of their knowledge too." It was quite amazing how little the Hooligans realised about what to do with farming, with what little they grew in Berk and all. They needed all the help they could get, it was just a shame it had to come this way.

Hiccup puffed out his chest, but the dangerous spark in Stoick's eye made him deflate, "Just don't, Hiccup." Stoick warned. Hiccup tried and failed to stare down his father, but his disposition made him turn away, he cursed under his breath and much like as he had done at home, he stomped out of the tent away from his father.

Knowing now that his father would play precious with his prisoners, Hiccup felt that there was only one thing that he could possibly do now. He mounted Toothless and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. He heeled his partner and the dragon took to the sky and pointed him east, towards DunBroch.

If he couldn't convince his father to at least let prisoners go, he may as well go to those who were bound to be next and warn them of what was to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Merida**

Slowly, the archers from the clans had begun to filter into DunBroch. Merida was pleased with the amount of people that had offered themselves up to the cause, but the problem with them was that some of the archers were complete novices. Most were men, as tradition dictated, but there were some young women arriving as well. It pleased Merida, her story had echoed through the clans and girls were beginning to step up and take the sword and bow to heart.

She had managed to devise a way to ensure each group of archers would be most effective, for every four people who were average shots, there were at least two who were experts. The seasoned hunters were always the ones who knew what they were doing, but of course she hadn't received all of those – they were still required to feed their people back home, but that was fine. Merida could make this work, she was sure of it.

Elinor and the triplets were long gone and so the queen was spared seeing her only daughter dressed for war. Leather cuirass, steel gauntlets, reinforced boots and a chainmail skirt over leather leggings. She had been offered a helmet, but refused, she would not cover her hair for anything. Not even war. People knew Merida for her tale, they knew her by her flaming red curls, in an odd way it gave people hope. The last thing she wanted to do was to take that away.

Up on the ramparts, Merida was checking on one of the groups she had put together to guard this end of the wall. It overlooked the lake, which for the time being remained quiet. Merida inhaled sharply, taking in the cold morning air, "Anything, lads?" She approached the familiar face in this group, Young Macintosh, one of her old suitors. He was married now, back home, he had found his own love… It seemed to have toughened him up a bit, he had heard the girl he married was a bit of hard work, she was a farmer's daughter and spent her time hunting the vermin. Macintosh hadn't liked the idea of getting his hands dirty, but she had shown him the way. It was good for Merida, however, his skills with a bow had improved and he wasn't so squeamish anymore.

Young Macintosh shook his head, "Nothing yet. I don't think they'll be expected for a few days." He told her.

Merida disagreed, "Remember, they have dragons. Chances are they might bring one or two first to scope out the castle. Keep your eyes up, I don't want anything escaping if it comes near." Macintosh agreed and cast his eyes out into the skies, watching warily. Merida headed down to see how the other groups were doing.

Just as she was about reach the next group, Macintosh let out a cry, "Merida! Dragon!"

She whipped around and drew her bow, there was no messing around here. Whilst the others scrambled and fumbled for their bows and quivers, she and Macintosh already had the dragon in their sights, Merida bit her lip, "Gosh… Look at it."

The dragon wasn't as big as she thought, around the size of Angus but longer. It was black as the night and even from here she could see its piercing green eyes. On its back was a man, a scout no doubt. Macintosh took the first shot, he managed to clip the dragons wing, it staggered but flew on.

Merida noticed it seemed to be flying _straight at them_, which was really quite unnerving. Did they think that just because they had dragons that they could just swoop in at any moment without some repercussions? No! Merida swung her bow around and waited, arrow ready. Just as the dragon banked to come over the walls, Merida took her shot. The arrow whistled through the air and buried itself into the dragon's shoulder, it flew fast than she realised, she was aiming for its throat.

"Shoot the wings!" Merida shouted and the group responded, taking up their arrows and loosing them towards the dragon. The man on its back shrieked and the dragon whirled around to get away, but his hide was already peppered with arrows. Merida grabbed one of the oil soaked cotton wrapped arrows, Macintosh took a torch and set it alight. The others stopped to watch as Merida levelled her bow and focused on her target, she inhaled slowly, waited and then exhaled as she released the flaming arrow.

It hit the bow in the back of the shoulder, it wasn't fatal, but it was enough to knock him forward and set his clothes alight. He screamed and flapped around on the back of the dragon, which cried out too when he caught the glimpse of flame. There was only one option; the lake. They dove down and splashed into its depths.

"Quick! Get the boats, don't let them get away!" Merida shouted, running down the ramparts into the courtyard, "soak the ropes, get a muzzle on that thing! Get them out now! They must _not_ get away!"


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: I am so sorry for neglecting this! I have been meaning to update this for ages now and other things just kept cropping up. I'll try stay on top of this now!_

**Hiccup**

He was in that strange half-sleep, not quite ready to wake but not ready to leave that bliss of sleep. Not that this sleep had been particularly blissful, he could feel a throbbing in his head and th back of his shoulder ached horrifically. In this muggy state of being he could hear two voices, a girl and a man, talking to one another. The man sounded scarily like his father, but he knew that it wasn't him.

"So what do we do with him now?" The girl asked.

"I'm not sure lass, I suppose we could use him and the dragon for bargaining-"

Hiccup woke up quite abruptly then, "Toothless! Where's Toothles!" He sat up straight and regretted it, he cried in pain and cringed as his arm went numb from the shock of the sudden movement. With his good hand he rubbed his throat, he must have been screaming because his voice was hoarse.

He took a moment to look around. He was in a dingy little stone cell, he turned around to see the thick wooden door with a small slot to peer out. Hiccup shuffled over to it and leaned against it as he tried to get to his feet.

Once he met the eye slot, he found himself looking into the eyes of a girl with the biggest and most fearsome green eyes he had ever seen. Her glare sent a shiver down his spine, this must have been the girl that was talking.

"So you're awake." She stated flatly. He heard the man leave them alone.

Hiccup swallowed hard, "Yes." Was the best he could muster. He jumped back with a squeal when the door suddenly flung open, pushing him back. Hiccup fell back to the floor, jarring his already injured shoulder, he moaned in pain.

"Oh shut up you baby. It was a clean shot, you'll be fine." The girl huffed. He couldn't see her properly with the torchlight coming in from behind her, but one thing that he could see was that her hair was the biggest mass of red that he deemed it almost impossible.

She didn't move from the doorway, he noticed the dagger in her hand. Hiccup gulped, "Listen, I understand why you shot me down but… Didn't you hear me saying not to shoot?"

He couldn't see her expression properly, but he saw her nose wrinkle in the half light, "No, we were a little too busy shooting down a ferocious dragon."

Hiccup sighed, "He's not ferocious! We came to warn you of the attack, we were hoping-"

"Attack? You mean the attack that we've been sitting waiting for for the past month now? Your news isn't exactly new to us stranger." Her tone was spiteful, it actually kinda hurt.

He cleared his throat and tried not to sound panicked, "What did you do to Toothless?"

She stared at him a while, he thought she was about to leave when she finally broke the silence, "You called that _thing _Toothless?" She scoffed, shaking her head, "I'll never understand you Vikings. Your monster is under lock and key, he won't be going anywhere soon."

"Yeah but… Is he okay?"

"As okay as any creature that had to take thirty or so arrows."

Hiccup gasped in exasperation, "Is he dying?" He asked hurriedly, shifting to his knees. The new angle helped him see the girl better and she looked utterly ferocious, even Astrid could never look as frightening as this girl did now.

She frowned, "Sadly no, but he has lost a fair bit of blood and I doubt he'll be flying for a little while."

He swallowed hard and tried to bite back tears, "Oh gods… I'm so sorry Toothless…" He said to the cold stone floor. He couldn't help it though, the tears began to fall, he sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

The girl just stood there, studying him, he eyes narrowed, "What're you _doing?" _She asked accusingly.

Hiccup glared up at her, "You hurt my best friend! What do you expect?"

She didn't reply, but her stance seemed to relax a little. She took a deep breath, "Why did you come to warn us?"

Hiccup sniffed, "Because what my dad is doing is wrong. I wanted to give you a chance to leave before he came and took everything from you."

She tensed, "Your dad?"

"Stoic the Vast." He admitted, looking up at her again. Her mouth was open.

She looked at him with complete and utter disbelief, "You expect me to believe that you're the son of the man who's destroying our home?"

Hiccup groaned and hung his head in shame, "Yes. I know I can't prove it, but you just have to trust me."

"Why? After you decided to come swooping in on a _dragon _of all things? What were you thinking boy?" She sounded almost like his father then, he shuddered.

"I wasn't, I thought that riding Toothless here would be the quickest way. I should have seen this coming," He put his hands over his face, "I'm such an idiot."

"Yes, you are," She agreed, stepping further into the cell. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, Hiccup protested a little in pain, "oh shut up."

Hiccup gulped, "What are you doing?"

She stared at him long and hard, "You're so ridiculous that I think I can let you out your cell, but I'll be watching you. If you even think about leaving this castle, sending any messages, even a hair out of place, I'll cut your throat. Do you understand?"

Hiccup stared at her, his eyes as big as plates, "Yes ma'am."

He saw her smile, which made him even more nervous, "Good. We'll get that wound on your shoulder properly seen too as well, the last thing that _I _need is to find out you're telling the truth. Prisoners of war from ruling families get treated with a bit of respect."

Another gulp, "You're serious?"

"Would you prefer the cell?"

"No no no. I'll go, but… Can I see Toothless first please? Just to check on him, make sure he's alright." He pleaded, her grip on his arm tightened.

"No," She told him, her voice was low and stern, "not until you tell me everything about the Vikings tactics."

Of course, there had to be a catch. He'd be branded a traitor for this, but then again the same was thought of him when he settled the war between the Vikings and the dragons. He grit his teeth, "Fine, I'll tell you everything I know."

She looked at him suspiciously, "We'll see. If I find you're lying I'll-"

"Cut my throat. Understood."

"Can you walk?" She asked, slowly releasing her grip. He staggered and swung back, she took his good arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. She was just the right height for him to lean on.

"Thanks." Hiccup mumbled.

"Don't thank me for anything yet stranger," She warned, helping him out of the cell.

He pressed his lips into a hard line and kept quiet as they made their way up the stone stairs into the castle. He looked up as the lights got brighter, he squinted and let his eyes adjust. The hall she led him into was stark in décor, just more stone with hunting trophies and banners. It was full of soldiers, scurrying back and forth. Hiccup felt his heart beat faster, he turned away and finally got to get a better look at the girl who was helping him.

She was pretty, far prettier than what he had expected. Her hair was crazy, it kept getting in his face and he was right about the colour, it burned copper in the light, making it look like fire. She was quite pale, but that wasn't a bad thing. She was dressed for war and his thoughts about her being scarier than Astrid were confirmed, this girl was ready to kill to defend her home. He would hate to put the two girls in the same room.

He grunted and groaned a few times from the arrow wound in his shoulder, but she didn't say anything as she led them up another flight of stairs. After a brief walk down a corridor, she deposited him on a bed in a room, "You're lucky you know," She told him, "not even the soldiers are getting this treatment. You better be grateful."

Hiccup nodded, "Oh! I am, I'm very grateful. I honestly expected to be dead right now… So… thank you for, not killing me, I guess?"

She huffed at him, going over to the drawers and fishing out a key, "Food will come at dusk." She told him, going over to the door.

"Hey, hey wait a second. What's your name?" He asked after her.

She cast a dark look over her shoulder at him, "Merida." She said, then slammed the door behind her. He heard a click as she locked the door, no surprises there.

"Merida." He repeated. He looked around the room and with the support of the bed and the wall he made his way over to the window, they were too narrow for him to get through; not that he planned on escaping. He looked through the glass at the organised chaos below, he swallowed hard, these were a tough bunch who weren't to be messed with. If it weren't for the fact that his dad led dragons with his army, he might actually say that they'd have a serious fight on their hands. But he knew better, these poor people would be destroyed the moment those dragons took to the skies.

He sighed heavily and flopped back down on the bed, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this Toothless." He moaned, then quickly found himself falling back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Merida**

She pressed her ear to the door after locking it. She heard him fumble about for a bit and then the sound of the bed creaking beneath him as he laid down on it, she heard him apologise to his dragon again. She waited a little longer, there was silence for a while, but then she heard soft whimpering. Merida pulled herself away from the door and pocketed the key.

Merida marched back down to the hall to speak with her father, who waited patiently on his throne. He seemed quite lost sitting there, he hated being apart from Elenor for too long, but both of them knew that it was for their own good that she left with the boys, "Dad," Merida spoke softly as she approached.

Fergus gave her a toothy grin, "How's our prisoner, lass?"

Merida pulled a face and sat down in the chair beside him, normally the seat belonging to her mother, but now Merida was her father's right hand, "He claims to be Stoick's son," She explained, "and that he came to warn us of the coming attack."

Fergus looked at her, completely baffled, "You're joking."

She shook her head, "Not at all. He's pretty adamant on it too, just in case I stuck him in one of the rooms upstairs," she took out the key and spun it on her finger, "he won't be getting out much though." She promised, Fergus smiled.

"Good, even if it turns out he's just some rat from the underbelly of the Hooligans at least we took precautions," Fergus sighed, "One damn lucky prisoner though, aye?"

Merida managed a small smile, "Aye. How're things looking out there?"

Fergus leaned forward in his throne, resting his elbow on his knee, "Nothing since our guest arrived. There's been smoke on the horizon though, just beyond the mountains."

She frowned deeply, "They're getting closer. What are we going to do?"

"I've already sent Dingwall and his son with a group of men off to scout it out, see just how much time we have before they arrive… We need to work out better defences against those dragons. There must be _something _we can do?"

Merida stroked her chin, "We always expected some damage, but I agree. There must be something…" Both went quiet with thought, and both got the idea at the same time. Fergus grinned at her, Merida pressed her lips together and her eyes widened, "No."

Fergus threw his arms up, "Aw come on lass! We have a boy and his dragon in this castle! We might as well make use of him!" Merida bit her lip, "Don't give me that look, you know it's a good idea too."

She gave him an exasperated look, "But how? I hardly think that he's just going to regale us with all of his secrets about dragons!"

Fergus shrugged, "Well, has he put up much of a fight?"

"No." Merida admitted, hunching her shoulders.

He gave her a wide grin, "Off you go then."

Merida grumbled, "I'll start tomorrow, it's getting dark anyway and I'm exhausted."

Fergus smirked, "Tomorrow then, g'night lass."

Merida left her father in the throne room and went down to the kitchen, the cooks were still there, they were working even harder than usual now they were feeding an army. Food was basic, however, but Merida didn't mind. She grabbed an apple from the side, not feeling up to much else. Merida took a large bite as she left and headed up to her room, which she now shared with other girls who had come to join the war effort. No one was in there yet though, some would be on night duty and so on. She slung her bow and quiver over the bed post and unbuckled her cuirass and tossed it over a chair, Merida finished off her apple and threw the core into the hearth. She promptly collapsed into her bed.

She lay for a while, staring up into the rafters. How would she get Hiccup to cooperate? He hardly came across as the war-faring type so maybe a prod in the ribs with an arrow might do the trick, or she could leave him to starve until he was ready to talk. There were all sorts of ways that Merida could squeeze answers out of him.

But then, it struck her like an axe to the head, "Of course," She muttered to herself in half sleep, "the dragon."

* * *

She awoke to the sounds of men shouting outside, but there was no panic, just the morning drills. Merida frowned, things were tense, she almost wished the fight would come to them now so they needn't wait any longer. Although, she also counted it as a blessing, she got time to talk with Hiccup and work out what to do.

One of the other girls helped her with her armour and wished her luck after she shared her plan, then Merida marched down to the room where Hiccup was kept. She pulled the key out of her tunic, but first she pressed her ear against the door. She could hear footsteps, or well, the thud of a boot and the click of that leg of his. She had noticed it before, thought it quite ingenious actually, but didn't say anything about it. Her father would be jealous no doubt. Either way, he was pacing and muttering quietly to himself.

Merida put the key into the lock and turned. She opened the door slowly and saw Hiccup standing in the middle of the room, he stared at her, his eyes were red and puffy. Merida forced herself to look stern, "Hiccup."

"Merida." He replied quietly and sat down on the bed. He looked up at her warily, "What're you going to do to me?"

"Nothing, actually. Come with me."

Hiccup eyed her suspiciously, but stood up again and slowly made his way towards her, "What's the catch?"

Merida rolled her eyes at him, "Do you want to see your dragon or not?"

His eyes brightened, he even smiled, "You'll take me to see Toothless?"

She pulled a face, "Yes, I'll take you to see Toothless. Now come on." She strutted off down the hall, only glancing back to see if he was following. He was right there, suddenly excited at the prospect of seeing his friend.

Merida led him back down into the dungeons where she had retrieved him before. She picked up a torch to light the way as they passed Hiccups old cell and went deeper into the cold, dank space. "Not much farther." She assured him, although flatly. Hiccup nodded in reply.

Finally, after a short walk Merida stopped them at a heavy wooden door with a guard standing outside. Merida relieved him and waited for him to be out of earshot before going to unlock the cell, Hiccup waited anxiously as she swung open the door.

Merida stepped inside first, holding the torch high to light the cell as best she could. Hiccup gasped in despair and ran forward, the large black beast had been chained down to the ground, he could move a little and just about turn his head. He was facing the damp stone wall, which showed black scorch marks from where the dragon had tried to blast through. Hiccup knelt down in front of the dragon and wrapped his arms around his head, "Oh gods I'm so sorry Toothless, I'm so sorry this happened to you." A rumble rose from the dragons throat, as if he were speaking back to him.

Suddenly, she felt like an intruder to their reunion, but she had brought him here for a purpose. Merida cleared her throat, "You're right, there was a catch."

Hiccup looked up at her, a scowl on his face, "What?"

She lowered the torch slightly, matching his glare, "You've got to tell me how to stop those dragons."


End file.
